I believe in repentance and redemption. But the FBI remains an unrepentant, vile sinner. Yesterday, Tuesday, the FBI and the Department of Justice made a stunning admission in the Michael Flynn case–they mislabeled evidence. DOJ sheepishly admitted that the notes of the interview of Michael Flynn taken by Agent Pientka actually belonged to Agent Strzok and that the notes attributed to Strzok actually belonged to Pientka. Holy Guacamole, Batman. It is still not clear that the FBI is freely confessing its sin and is committed to turning its bureaucratic life around.
There is no good news in this for the government’s case. At a minimum it exposes the FBI as incompetent clowns. At worse, it may be evidence of a deliberate effort to deceive the defense and the judge. It has been exposed because of the insistent demands of the principled Sidney Powell, a relentless Honey Badger. That woman will not quit in demanding that General Flynn be treated fairly. She knows right from wrong. Cannot say the same for the FBI. The Bureau is a disgrace.
Now that we know that the FBI mislabeled the notes taken by the FBI agents during their interview of General Flynn, it would appear the entire case is in jeopardy. The foundation of the charge that Flynn lied about his conversation with the Russian Ambassador is predicated on the notes the FBI agents took and then turned into a 302 report. I asked one of my retired FBI buddies (he served as a Special Agent in Charge of a large US city) if the agents were required to date and sign their notes. He replied:
No, we did not sign and date notes. They were placed in a 1-A (evidence) Envelope which had our name and the date collected along with the file number and, I believe, the case title. The 1-As were kept as part of the original case file. They were not entered into evidence like other things we collected.
Those notes should have been placed in an “evidence” envelope with the appropriate name and date on the envelope. How could so-called professionals screw up something this basic?
There was something more nefarious afoot. Let’s put this into the broader context. If Flynn actually had lied to Strzok and Pientka that fact would have been reflected in the notes and the original 302. But that did not happen. A normal routine would be to write up the 302 and put it into final within five days. That did not happen. The original 302 still has not been produced. However, Ms. Powell has presented exhibits showing that there were other versions of the 302 generated and that substantive, unsupportable changes were made. The “final” 302 essentially made the case that Flynn lied.
But Sidney Powell has produced documentary evidence showing that Strzok stated he did not believe that Flynn lied. And there was more FBI misconduct. General Flynn, for example, was not advised of the need to have a lawyer present nor was he shown the transcript of the call that was illegally recorded by the NSA. At no point was he given a chance to correct the record. It was a total setup and designed to paint Flynn as a liar and a collaborator with the Russians. This is malevolently diabolical conduct by law enforcement officers.
Honey Badger Powell’s terrific lawyering and insistence on getting her hands on the evidence the US Government is withholding has now backed the Mueller team into a corner. Sidney Powell has exposed staggering misconduct and malfeasance. Michael Flynn will be exonerated. The only real question is whether or not the prosecutors will be held in contempt and tried.
Originally published on Sic Semper Tyrannis. Republished by permission.
Link to the original article: https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2019/11/more-evidence-that-the-comey-fbi-was-a-malevolent-clown-show-by-larry-c-johnson.html
Image details: Col. Michael L. Howard, commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division (left), speaks with Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, Director of Intelligence (middle) and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (right), Aug. 26, inside the headquarters building for Company A, 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion located on Combat Outpost Gorbuz, on issues faced by the Paratroopers of 4-25th BCT as well as to discuss the recent success of the Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF during the recent elections within the Provinces of Khost, Paktya and Paktika. McChrystal came to Gorbuz to speak with the local commanders in the area to get a feel for the security of the area and any issues of ISAF or Afghanistan National Security Forces that may need attention. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus Butler). Public domain.
